This section of this document introduces information about and/or from the art that may provide context for or be related to the subject matter described herein and/or claimed below. It provides background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. This is a discussion of “related” art. That such art is related in no way implies that it is also “prior” art. The related art may or may not be prior art. The discussion in this section of this document is to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Production of acetic acid by methanol carbonylation is known. In the current acetic acid production process, a reaction mixture is withdrawn from a reactor and is separated in a flash tank into a liquid fraction and a vapor fraction having acetic acid generated during the carbonylation reaction. The liquid fraction may be recycled to the carbonylation reactor, and the vapor fraction is passed to a separations unit, which by way of example may be a light-ends distillation column. The light-ends distillation column separates a crude acetic acid product from other components. The crude acetic acid product is passed to a drying column to remove water and then is subjected to further separations to recover acetic acid.
One challenge facing the industry is the presence of aldehyde(s) in acetic acid production, which can be present in the feed and also form as an undesired by-product of carbonylation reactions. Processes for removing aldehydes exist; however, there continues to be a need to improve upon, and provide alternatives to, current aldehyde removal processes.